Vanadyl sulfate (VOSO4), which is readily available over the counter in the United States at local health food stores, is marketed as a nutritional supplement. Although it may be useful for other purposes as well, vanadyl sulfate has historically been taken to improve glycemic control, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,980, the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. Vanadyl sulfate generates the vanadyl radical (VO−3) which has been shown to reverse diabetes in pancreatectomized rats. The radical (VO−3) is the predominant radical form that is present in extracellular fluid and is reduced intracellularly into the radical (VO+2) which is the active form.
Although vanadium-containing compounds such as vanadyl sulfate, have been shown to produce dramatic therapeutic effects in animal models evaluating its effects on glucose metabolism, in human studies these observed effects have been exceedingly weak. It has been thought that inadequate cellular penetration into the human mammalian cell may contribute to the limited effects on glucose metabolism that have been observed in humans (Goldfine, et al., J. Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1995, 80 (11): 3311-20; Boden, et al., Metabolism, 1996, 45 (9): 1130-1135). Recently, vanadium has also been evaluated as a potential new class of anti-HIV agents (Wong, et al., Chem. Commun. (Cambridge), 2005 (28): 3544-3546), however, the virucidal activity of vanadium has not been demonstrated in humans and nor does such evaluation suggest how to address immune deterioration which occurs in human beings following, for example, HIV infection.
New therapeutic strategies are needed for the treatment of viral or retroviral infections such as HIV. Particularly needed are safe and effective compositions and methods for the treatment or eradication of viral and retroviral infections, while improving one or more immunologic cellular parameters associated with such infections.